Songaila Suspended

joshp — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:34:13 -0000

Editor's Note: eva.future was first to this story , but people had already been commenting here, and this had a link, so I bumped it to the front page.

I'm with everyone in saying the suspension is pretty silly. From what Ivan said, though, it sounds like Songaila just took the fall for DeShawn's so-called dirty flagrant in Game 1. Any little thing would have been a suspension.

It's a ridiculous decision, but instead of crying sour grapes, I'm curious to see what happens now to our frontcourt depth. Behind Haywood, all we have now is Andray Blatche, who has struggled in this series. We need Haywood to come up big tonight, otherwise, we're in big trouble.

http://www.nba.com/news/songaila_suspended_080502.html

for game 6.

this is going a little bit overboard. the flagrant was a so-so call, but this is too extreme, i think. i still cant determine whether or not the contact was intntional.

what should merit a suspension is lebron's reaction. that was a really bad acting job.

this series is just spiralling out of control, but thats what i love about it. hope it goes seven

Sam Mitchell?

joshp — Thu, 10 May 2007 23:06:13 -0000

There has been a lot of anti-Eddie Jordan sentiment lately, and while calls for his firing may have some merit, the main argument against this was the lack of a suitable replacement. What if Sam Mitchell became available? I'm not advocating anything, but would anyone be in favor of a Mitchell for Jordan swap?

Georgetown

joshp — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 03:25:56 -0000

Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert have entered the NBA draft, but have not hired agents, leaving open the possibility of returning to school for another season.
For any Hoya fans: If they do leave, how good can G'Town be next season? I believe they have a very good class coming in, but is it good enough to recover from losing their two best players to the NBA?

Bonzi Wells

joshp — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 04:56:30 -0000

Apparently, Bonzi Wells has quit the Houston Rockets, saying that he thinks he is disrupting the team's chemistry. If he is released or bought out by Houston, could we possibly pick him up, like the Pistons did with Webber or the Heat with Jones? I'll take anything at this point, anything is better than Jarvis.

NBA Draft

joshp — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:51:04 -0000

[Editor's Note: From the diaries. Because it's never too early to think draft, and I'm a huge, huge draft junkie (probably from the myriad years this franchise was in the lottery) -Pradamaster]

I love the NBA draft, since I'm a big college basketball fan, so I actually know the players being drafted in and out. This year is really interesting, with all of the freshmen coming out on account of the NBA's age limit. I had a little bit of free time, so I decided to put together a little mock draft. This will certainly change next week after the final four, because 6 of the top 11 picks as they stand now will be in action, as well as two other first-rounders. Right now I have the Wizards taking Corey Brewer at #21. I know what we could really use is a point guard, but with Ty Lawson staying in college and Conley and Law off the board, no one was available. Besides, Brewer would be a steal at #21. So, here's my mock draft;

Mock Draft 3/27
*Draft order according to ESPN.com

1. Memphis
Greg Oden (C Ohio State FR)
The Grizzlies simply can't pass up on a tandem of Oden and Pau Gasol in the interior. They pass on Kevin Durant because the wing is already crowded, with Mike Miller and Rudy Gay.

2. Boston
Kevin Durant (F Texas FR)
You can't say no to Durant at number 2. The Celtics are hoping that a Paul Pierce-Kevin Durant duo can reverse the team's recent failures.

3. Charlotte
Brandon Wright (F North Carolina FR)
The Bobcats may have to replace Gerald Wallace in the off-season, but even if they don't, Wright is the best player on the board at number 3, and looks to be an upgrade over Sean May at power forward.

4. Milwaukee
Jeff Green (F Georgetown JR)
In what will probably be considered a reach by some, the Bucks take Green, whose success in the Big East and NCAA tournaments has sent him soaring up the lottery. The Bucks would have preferred Kansas' Julian Wright, but Wright decided to remain at Kansas for his junior season.

5. Phoenix (from Atlanta)
Joakim Noah (F/C Florida JR)
The Suns will be tempted by Chase Budinger and Noah's teammate Al Horford, but will eventually settle on Noah because mainly because of his athleticism. Noah will be the logical successor to Shawn Marion, who is pushing 30 years of age.

6. Seattle
Spencer Hawes (C Washington FR)
With Ray Allen aging and Rashard Lewis on the trading block, the Sonics are looking to rebuild. Where better to start a rebuilding process than in the interior? After projects such as Sear Sene and Johan Petro have failed to work out, Hawes looks like a slam dunk, averaging 15 point per game as a freshman for the Huskies.

7. Philadelphia
Al Horford (F/C Florida JR)
After losing Chris Webber to the Pistons, the Sixers could use a good post scorer, and Horford is exactly that, co-leading a loaded Gators team in scoring at 13 per game.

8. Portland
Al Thornton (F Florida State SR)
The long, energetic Thornton is the perfect compliment to the big, lumbering Zach Randolph. The Blazers will also consider Acie Law and Mike Conley Jr., but ultimately decide that Jarett Jack is good enough to hold down the point guard spot.

9. Sacramento
Yi Jianlian (PF China)
With Ron Artest doing God knows what these days, and Brad Miller missing half of the season, the Kings are in serious need of some inside help. Jianlian is the best international player in this year's draft, an energetic scorer inside.

10. Minnesota
Mike Conley Jr. (PG Ohio State FR)
While the possibility of having to replace Kevin Garnett looms large, the T'wolves can't say no to Conley, who has elevated himself to the best point guard in the draft with his impressive play in the NCAA tournament. The struggles of Mike James seal the deal.

11. Chicago (from New York)
Roy Hibbert (C Georgetown JR)
Hibbert, a solid defensive center at 7'2 becomes the heir apparent to the aging Ben Wallace in Chicago. Hibbert averaged 2.5 blocks per game as a junior at Georgetown. Hibbert still must improve his offensive arsenal, but hey, so does Wallace.

12. Atlanta (from Indiana)
Acie Law (PG Texas A&M SR)
The Hawks hope that Law can finally make everyone forget about how the Hawks passed up on Chris Paul in 2005. Law is a polished player whose clutch play during the regular season increased his stock dramatically, but a relatively poor showing in the NCAA tournament brought him back to Earth. The Hawks are looking to make his loss their gain.

13. New Orleans
Chase Budinger (SG Arizona FR)
With Chris Paul, Peja Stojakovic, David West and Tyson Chandler, a good shooting guard is the only the Hornets need to complete a solid starting five. The next step would be keeping everyone healthy, which has been a world of trouble this season.

14. Golden State
Tiago Splitter (F/C Brazil)
Splitter possesses the diverse range of skills necessary to succeed in Don Nelson's small-ball system. More importantly, Splitter is an excellent defender, and should eventually help to improve the Warrior's abysmal defense.

15. New Jersey
Josh McRoberts (F/C Duke SO)
The Nets are hoping that they won't have to use this pick to replace Vince Carter, but even if they do, there won't be many options. Rudy Fernandez and Marcus Williams come to mind, but ultimately, the Nets will choose to address their weakness in the post first.

16. Detroit (from Orlando)
Aaron Gray (C Pittsburgh SR)
Detroit is a match made in heaven for Gray, whose lack of athleticism would render him useless almost anywhere else. The Pistons are still looking for a suitable replacement for Ben Wallace, and maybe Aaron Gray can be that guy.

17. L.A. Clippers
Rudy Fernandez (SG International)
With Corey Maggette being the subject of trade talks and Cuttino Mobley on the decline, the Clippers could use some help on the wing. Fernandez is a polished player who could have an immediate impact.

18. Philadelphia (from Denver)
Nick Young (SG Southern California JR)
Having bolstered their inside presence with Al Horford, the Sixers will now look to the perimeter. Young is an excellent scorer, leading a solid Trojans team in scoring at 17.5 per game. The arrival of stud freshman O.J Mayo at USC may have Young thinking its time to abandon ship.

19. Miami
Taurean Green (PG Florida JR)
The Heat have two major issues to address; center and point guard. Green is the best player available at those positions, thanks to his stellar play in the SEC and NCAA tournaments recently.

20. L.A. Lakers
Dominic McGuire (F Fresno State JR)
Needing help inside, the Lakers settle on McGuire, a versatile Lamar Odom type. The Lakers are hoping that he can team with Odom to create a supporting cast that can elevate Kobe to a championship contender.

21. Washington
Corey Brewer (G/F Florida JR)
My beloved Wizards could use a true point guard on their roster, but their simply isn't anyone worth it at this point. Besides, how can you pass on someone as versatile and skilled as Brewer at number 21?

22. Charlotte (from Toronto)
Marcus Williams (G/F Arizona SO)
After grabbing Brandon Wright at number 3, the Bobcats get another super-skilled forward in Williams. Williams can be a solid backup at the shooting guard, and can play small forward if necessary.

23. New York (from Chicago)
Brandon Rush (G/F Kansas SO)
Rush, and his outstanding defense, would be a nice compliment to Jamal Crawford's offensively minded game. Rush, who is known as an excellent teammate, would also help to improve the chemistry on a team dominated by Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis.

24. Phoenix (from Cleveland)
Rodney Stuckey (G Eastern Washington SO)
Stuckey is a scoring guard in the Leandro Barbosa mold, who would be an excellent fit in Phoenix's up tempo system. He may have flown under the radar because he plays in the Big Sky conference, but he has been perhaps the country's best scorer for the last two seasons.

25. Houston
Nick Fazekas (PF Nevada SR)
Houston needs someone who can score to replace Juwan Howard's production at power forward. Fazekas fits the bill in terms of scoring ability, but his lack of strength and athleticism is a serious concern.

26. Detroit
Jared Dudley (F Boston College SR)
Dudley is a good choice to eventually replace Antonio McDyess on Detroit's bench. He may not be ready for the NBA just yet, being too small for the post and not skilled enough for the wing, but the same thing was said about Dudley's former teammate Craig Smith, who is doing alright in Minnesota.

27. Utah
Alando Tucker (F Wisconsin SR)
Jerry Sloan will love Tucker's toughness and poise. With Andrei Kirilenko struggling and Matt Harpring aging, Tucker is a goof fit for the Jazz at small forward.

28. San Antonio
Herbert Hill (C Providence SR)
Ever since David Robinson retired, the Spurs have been searching for the perfect compliment to Tim Duncan. At this point, they may actually be searching for Duncan's replacement. The late blooming Hill is a good fit, showing incredible consistency on both sides of the ball in Big East play this season.

29. Phoenix
Marc Gasol (C International)
Gasol is a big man whose game bears some resemblance to Mehmet Okur's. Gasol may not be the best fit in Phoenix, but the Suns are already loaded on the perimeter and can afford to take a European project with their third pick in the first round.

30. Philadelphia (from Dallas)
Jason Smith (C Colorado State JR)
The sixers would love to use this pick on Arron Afflalo, but they are already loaded on the wing with Andre Iguodala, Rodney Carney, Kyle Korver and Nick Young. Smith provides the Sixers with an ample replacement for the aging Joe Smith.

Notes

Julian Wright (F Kansas SO) and Tywon Lawson (PG North Carolina FR) have been removed after apparently withdrawing themselves from the draft.
Brook Lopez (C Stanford FR) has been removed after announcing that he will return to Stanford for his sophomore season.

SB Nation User Blog: joshp

Songaila Suspended

Sam Mitchell?

Georgetown

Bonzi Wells

NBA Draft